Tag: trending

  • Kavaan no longer world’s ‘loneliest elephant’, finds new friends in Cambodia

    Kavaan no longer world’s ‘loneliest elephant’, finds new friends in Cambodia

    Islamabad Zoo’s lone elephant Kavaan arrived in Cambodia on Monday, where he was taken to his new home, a wildlife sanctuary. Cher, who had long campaigned for his release, was on the tarmac at the airport of Cambodia’s second-biggest city Siem Reap to greet Kaavan along with Buddhist monks, who performed rituals on his arrival.

    According to details, Kavaan has already made himself at home in Cambodia and can be seen making new friends and socializing with female elephants.

    “Kavaan is already socialising with neighbours: beautiful female elephants,” shared Press Officer at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia Neth Pheaktra.

    Similarly, animal rescue organisation Four Paws shared a beautiful picture of Kavaan interacting with fellow elephants in the sanctuary.

    Kavaan was first brought to Pakistan in 1985 as a gift from Sri Lanka when he was only a year old. Since then he was living at Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad with his partner Saheli, who died in 2012. After Saheli’s death, Kaavan became alone and was dubbed as the world’s loneliest elephant. In 2016 he caught the attention of Cher, who along with other animal rights activists fought a long legal battle for his release and transfer.

    He was airlifted from Islamabad to Cambodia in a Russian cargo plane.

    “Kaavan was eating, was not stressed, he was even a little bit sleeping, standing leaning at the crate wall. He behaves like a frequent flyer,” said Kavaan’s best friend vet Dr Amir Khalil, while sharing details of his flight.

    “The flight was uneventful, which is all you can ask for when you transfer an elephant,” he added.

  • Fact Check: Dozens of people have died in NAB custody

    Fact Check: Dozens of people have died in NAB custody

    Claim: Several people have died under NAB custody

    Fact: At least 12 people who died in NAB custody have been reported on by mainstream media

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar has not only claimed that dozens of people died in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) but also told HARDtalk presenter Stephen Sackur to “Google it”.

    Speaking to BBC, he brought the journalist’s attention to the human rights condition in Pakistan. “What’s happening in Pakistan… dozens of people have died in NAB custody.”

    When Sackur asked him if he was claiming that people had died during detention by NAB, Dar reiterated his claim and told the presenter to head to Google to verify it.

    https://twitter.com/WaraichHaider/status/1333666178250788864

    But is there any truth to the claims made by the ex-finance minister?

    Amid conflicting reports, NAB maintains that not even a single person has died in its custody, at least not because of torture and in recent times.

    One of the most recent cases remains that of the former chief executive officer (CEO) of the University of Sargodha’s Lahore campus, Mian Javed Ahmed, who was in Camp Jail in connection with a NAB inquiry.

    He died in prison reportedly of cardiac arrest in late 2018. With pictures of his dead body still in handcuffs sending shockwaves across the nation, NAB said the teacher was not in the bureau’s but in judicial custody.

    Earlier in 2004, the then NAB chairperson had ordered an inquiry into the death of a former divisional engineer of PTCL, Agha Mohammad Sajjad, who died in NAB custody.

    A NAB spokesperson had said the former PTCL official who was taken into custody on the charges of corruption from Lahore was brought to NAB police station, where he suffered a heart attack. The official died on the way to hospital, he had said and rejected allegations that the death was caused by torture.

    Former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senator Sehar Kamran, however, says that “NAB custody is worse than the United States’ (US) infamous military jail, the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp”.

    The scattered data of alleged rights violations by NAB was compiled by Kamran in a brief she reportedly sent to Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari among other authorities concerned earlier this year.

    According to the brief, 11 NAB suspects, minus Mian Javed, have lost their lives while in custody or “as a direct result of the harassment by the agency”.

    Aslam Masood

    Aslam Masood, the chief financial officer (CFO) of Omni Group, was arrested through Interpol when he was boarding a flight from London to Jeddah in October 2018. He was subsequently extradited to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia in February 2019. He died of a cardiac arrest on August 17, 2020 while in NAB custody.

    Engineer Aijaz Memon

    Aijaz Memon, an executive engineer serving in Sindh government’s Works and Services Department, was accused of misappropriation of Rs90 million development funds for Jacobabad. He was kept in the Sukkur Central Prison, where he suffered a heart stroke, and passed away during treatment at the local Civil hospital on May 31, 2020, less than three months after being placed in NAB custody.

    Advocate Zafar Iqbal Mughal

    Advocate Zafar Iqbal Mughal was a leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and district bar member from Layyah. He was detained by NAB authorities on October 11, 2019, in a bogus housing scheme case (a non-registered housing colony on 254 acres in Layyah). He remained in NAB custody for 86 days and after severe deterioration of health, he was transferred to the hospital only four days before death. He died in NAB custody on January 6, 2020, a few days before his hearing scheduled for January 17, 2020.

    Raja Asim

    Raja Asim was arrested in the stock exchange corruption case on March 26, 2014. After five years in custody without sentencing, his case remained inconclusive, while other accused individuals in the same cases were not pursued. Due to delayed provision of healthcare/medication for
    pneumonia, Raja Asim passed away in NAB custody at the age of 42. His death was declared after a delay of five days.

    Brigadier (r) Asad Munir

    Former Military Intelligence officer and prominent defense analyst Brig (r) Asad Munir committed suicide after the emergence of media reports that NAB had decided to file a reference of abuse of office against him. His body was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his apartment in Diplomatic Enclave on March 16, 2019.

    He left a suicide note, addressed to the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), seeking action against NAB’s conduct against those who have not even been convicted.

    Muhammad Nasir Sheikh

    Muhammad Nasir Shaikh, additional director (land) of KDA was arrested by NAB on November 27, 2015, for alleged China-cutting and land grabbing. With his death in April 2019, he became the second KDA official held without prosecution and to pass away in custody.

    Professor Dr Tahir Amin

    Professor Dr. Tahir Amin, a renowned educationist, international relations expert and the vice chancellor of Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) Multan was accused of nepotism and financial malpractice. NAB chief initiated a probe against him on the complaint of a former colleague. Under tremendous stress, he also made an abortive attempt to commit suicide and later died of a heart attack on April 5, 2019.

    Qaisar Abbas

    Qaisar Abbas was arrested in Nandipur Power Project Case on August 30, 2018, he was shifted to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) after complaining of chest pain. He passed away on October 1, 2019.

    Chaudhry Arshad

    Chaudhry Arshad, chairperson of Members Welfare Committee of Ministry of Commerce Employees Cooperative Housing Society (MOCECHS), was arrested by the anti-graft watchdog over charges of corruption allegedly leveled by corrupt officials with nexus of land mafia.

    According to reports, Chaudhry Arshad was under severe pressure to sign documents in a bid to occupy the housing society when he suffered a heart attack and passed away on August 7, 2018.

    Muhammad Saleem

    Muhammad Saleem, deputy director (revenue) of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) was apprehended by NAB in September 2017 in connection with LDA commercialisation fee corruption case on the basis of an anonymous complaint.

    Despite suffering from liver disease, he was sent to Camp Jail on judicial remand by an accountability court. When his health deteriorated, he was shifted to Services Hospital where he died in NAB custody on December 24, 2018.

    Abdul Qavi Khan

    Abdul Qavi Khan, another KDA officer was arrested on November 27, 2015, he was accused of illegal construction and sale/purchase of plots in a housing scheme named “University Hill Villas”. He died under mysterious circumstances at Central Jail Karachi.

    “NAB’s little respect for human rights is widely known. The extent to which human rights are violated by NAB can only be established by documentation, a process in which this institution is obviously not interested. Surprisingly, NAB victims too have not attempted a record-based assessment of this important institution’s performance. In this situation a fact sheet prepared by former senator Sehar Kamran can only be welcomed. The first shocking fact presented in this report is that NAB is allegedly responsible for causing 12 deaths,” writes human rights champion IA Rehman.

    VERDICT: TRUE

  • Humayun Saeed, baby Mustafa Abbasi all smiles as they meet each other for the first time

    Humayun Saeed, baby Mustafa Abbasi all smiles as they meet each other for the first time

    Humayun Saeed with wife Samina paid a visit to Hamza Ali Abbasi in Islamabad, meeting his son Mustafa Abbasi for the first time.

    Both Humayun and Mustafa were beaming as they met each other for the first time.

    “MashAllah the most adorable and chilled out kid Mustafa Hamza Abbasi,” wrote Humayun in the caption.

    He added that he had the” strangest yet happiest feeling” when he held Mustafa and realised that Hamza is not only married but also has a child now.

    Humayun’s sister-in-law Sana Shahnawaz also shared pictures from their meeting and both Humayun and Mustafa were all smiles in these photographs also.

    Abbasi and Naimal Khawar welcomed their first child on July 30 this year.

  • ‘Revise your course, do homework, these aren’t holidays,’ Shafqat Mahmood to students

    Pakistan’s educational institutions had to be closed down because coronavirus infections were rising very fast, Federal education Minister Shafqat Mahmood tweeted Tuesday morning.

    He said it was done with a heavy heart, Geo reported.

    “I request all students to use this time not as a holiday but to revise their courses, do homework,” he said.

    The federal education minister asked students to continue with their studies “as much as possible”.

    Mahmood had made similar remarks last week while talking to Geo Pakistan. He had said the decision to close down educational institutes was taken due to non-compliance with government-issued coronavirus SOPs.

    “The SOPs were not being followed as they should have been,” he had said, adding that health department data showed rapid virus transmission in education institutes.

    Stressing that children’s health cannot be taken lightly, Mahmood said there were around 50 million students across the country i.e. one-fourth of our population. “They can become carriers. So it was necessary to shut down schools.”

  • Ali Tareen ‘welcome to join PPP’ after saying Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari is ‘pretty cool’

    Ali Tareen, who is the son of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s close aide and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) bigwig Jahangir Tareen, was on Monday offered to join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in response to a tweet calling Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari “pretty cool”.

    “Political differences aside, Aseefa is pretty cool,” Tareen had tweeted after Aseefa’s address to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) jalsa in Multan, which was seen as the formal entry into politics by the daughter of the late former PM Benazir Bhutto and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari.

    “Shukriya [thank you] Ali Tareen we welcome you to join PPP [sic],” tweeted a PPP supporter in response to the Multan Sultans co-owner’s praise for Aseefa.

    Here’s what the younger Tareen had to say in response:

    The tweets came as several netizens took to Twitter to praise Aseefa, who was filling in for her coronavirus positive brother PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, over her maiden public address. Many said she reminded them of her mother Benazir.

    Earlier, Aseefa delivered a short and brisk speech. She vowed to stand by her brother “every step of the way”.

    She began her speech by heaping scorn on the “selected” government. “Despite the cruelty and oppression by the selected [government], so many of you have gathered here. This selected [government] will have to go!”

    She said those who think the opposition will be cowed into submission are mistaken, Geo reported.

    Aseefa said that the people had announced their decision and that they wanted PM Imran to “pack up and leave”.

    Speaking about her mother, she said Benazir Bhutto had carried on her father’s mission — to establish a welfare state — and faced several setbacks.

    “[Former] president Asif Zardari introduced the 18th Amendment and BISP [Benazir Income Support Programme] and fought for the people’s rights,” she said and promised supporters that she would continue their mission and would not back down.

    “They think that we are afraid of arrests. If they arrest our brothers, then they should know that every woman of PPP is ready to take up the struggle,” she said.

  • ‘Disgraceful & insulting’: PTV sends cheque worth Rs 1400 to Simi Raheal

    ‘Disgraceful & insulting’: PTV sends cheque worth Rs 1400 to Simi Raheal

    Simi Raheal is furious with the management of Pakistan Television Corporation(PTV) for sending her a cheque of worth Rs 1400 only.

    Sharing a picture of it on social media, the actor said: “This is how artists are honoured by the state! This is the acknowledgement of Pakistan Television. After four decades, this was truly appalling!”

    While fellow actors, fans and members of the media industry extended their support to Simi and criticised PTV for their act, others told the veteran actor to not make a big deal out of it.

    Later, in a social media post, Simi, thanked those who supported her and explained that her reason for voicing her concern was not about money but was “about social attitudes concerning art and artists”.

    “It’s quite visible what people think of artists,” she said. “This dialogue this debate was essential. It does not matter what the actual amount is or should have been it’s about the respect regard of an artist.”

    She also explained her stance while replying to multiple users who left comments on her post.

    It is pertinent to add here that Raheal is not the only actor who accused PTV of mistreating artists. Earlier this year, senior actor Rashid Mahmood bashed PTV for sending him a cheque of Rs 620 of which Rs 500 is the Pride of Performance fees, leaving him with only Rs 120.

    The baffled actor has voiced his confusion and distaste on social media, saying “What are the criteria of paying a Pride of Performance winner in this country and who spent 50 years of [his] life in PTV.”

    Later, in a video message, he shared how he was invited to recite a marsiya two years ago in Muharram.

    “I hadn’t really received any work opportunities from PTV in the past two years. During Muharram, Pakistan Television Lahore had commissioned me to recite Mir Anees’s marsiya. I recorded it and it aired on the 9th and 10th Muharram multiple times. After two years, I received a cheque of only Rs 620,” he said, referring to the compensation as an ‘insult’.

    “In this Naya Pakistan, will my mother institute insult me and give me this sort of attitude? People whose worth in the showbiz industry is questionable take Rs 1.5 to 2.5 million. Today I announce that I will never work for PTV,” he lamented.

    PTV management later apologised to Mahmood and clarified that the cheque was “mistakenly issued in his name”.

    However, PTV then issued a new cheque to the veteran actor which was worth Rs 9600 only. Posting a picture of the new cheque, Mahmood said that he will not work with PTV in the future and will not be cashing the cheques either.

  • PCB reacts to sexual abuse allegations against skipper Babar Azam

    PCB reacts to sexual abuse allegations against skipper Babar Azam

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director of Media and Communications Samiul Hassan has said that the sexual violence allegations against skipper Babar Azam were a personal matter and the board could not comment on it.

    According to Jang, the board’s spokesperson was responding to a question posed by the Urdu daily after a damning press conference by one Hamiza of Lahore, who claims to be Babar’s schoolfellow and neighbour.

    Addressing the presser on Saturday, the woman had claimed that the young cricketer tricked her into love and marriage.

    “When I asked him to marry me, he tortured me,” she said.

    Hamiza said that she had financially supported Babar when he was struggling with his career, adding that she spent millions of rupees on him.

    “When I called the PCB to lodge a complaint, they said that it was a personal matter,” she continued.

    While PCB’s response to media queries adds weight to the woman’s claims, her lawyer says that an FIR [First Information Report] had been lodged with the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) regarding the matter but no action was taken. 

    Hamiza’s petition is now pending at a sessions court, which is scheduled for a hearing on December 4. The sexual harassment case will be heard on December 5.

    Babar, who is in New Zealand for a three-match T20I series and a two-match Test series, on the other hand, is yet to make a statement on the matter.

     

  • PM refuses to say Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa is not guilty of corruption

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Saturday refused to say that former military bigwig as well as his ex-aide Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa was not guilty of corruption, maintaining that it wasn’t his job to say so.

    In an interview with senior journalist Mansoor Ali Khan, when asked to say on camera if Bajwa was not guilty of corruption, the premier said, “I cannot say this because it is not my job to say this. However, I will say that he gave a very detailed answer to the allegations against him. I sat with our law minister and reviewed it.”

    Earlier this year, Bajwa had rebutted a news report linking his military career to his family’s businesses, terming it “malicious propaganda”. Amid opposition’s tirades against him despite a clarification, he had decided to continue serving as the chairperson of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority but stepped down as the premier’s aide on information and broadcasting.

    PM Imran himself had, however, expressed satisfaction over the ex-army official’s clarification regarding his assets and rejected the resignation at first.

    “These were mere allegations and if anyone had any problems with it, they should file a case against the retired army officer with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB),” the premier said on Saturday.

    He added that Bajwa was made the CPEC chairperson based on his credentials as opposed to any pressure from the army on him to do so. “He had served in the past as the commander of the Southern Command in Balochistan and had also worked closely with the Chinese. Gwadar is the focal point of the whole CPEC project.”

    The premier said that the government had then appointed Bajwa as his special assistant on information as he had also worked as the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief and had the much-needed experience for the job. 

    PM Imran reiterated that he was not under any pressure from the armed forces and among other executive decisions, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in charge of the country’s foreign policy. “The army hasn’t [directed] me to do one thing which I did not want to do,” he said.

    “I would have resisted the army if they exerted pressure on me. The entire foreign policy [being implemented today] is mine, you can check the PTI’s manifesto,” the premier added. 

    The prime minister said that Pakistan’s foreign policy today was centered around the PTI’s manifesto, adding that the world was praising Pakistan for advocating non-military solutions to conflicts. “There was pressure on us to take a side in a conflict between any Muslim countries; we said we would remain neutral and play our role in uniting Muslim countries instead.”

    During the wide-ranging interview, PM Imran spoke on various issues and also trained guns at the opposition.

    Responding to a question, he said that former PTI general-secretary Jahangir Tareen was going through “difficult times” but said that he would not interfere in the sugar inquiry investigation.

    “Jahangir Tareen has been really close to us [in the past], we have worked together in the past closely,” he said. “Tareen says he is innocent. The investigation is going on, I will not interfere in matters of institutions,” added the PM. 

    He said that under his government, an inquiry against the sugar cartel was launched for the first time in Pakistan’s history. He said that an FIR had also been registered against Tareen.

    When asked about former Punjab government spokesperson Fayazul Hasan Chohan who was shown the door a couple of weeks ago and Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was appointed as a special assistant to the chief minister (CM) of Punjab, the premier said both mattered to him. 

    “We need both Fayyaz Chohan and Firdous Ashiq Awan,” he said. “In order to win the match, you need to change the team sometimes,” he said. 

    The premier said that Chohan wanted a “strong” ministry which he had been given now. 

    Speaking further about the Punjab government, the PM said that his party had brought in people on merit. “The same setup was in power in Punjab over the past 30 years, but we brought in people on merit.”

    He said that the new Punjab inspector general (IG) was doing a fabulous job, adding that Punjab CM Usman Buzdar was doing a commendable job as far as development projects were concerned. “You will see that after five years, Buzdar will be the number one provincial chief executive in the country,” he said. 

    When asked to respond to allegations of being a “selected” PM, the premier said that he couldn’t understand their criticism. 

    He said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the leader of his party because “he had shown a piece of paper” (in reference to Benazir Bhutto’s will) and Maryam Nawaz was leading the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) because she was Nawaz Sharif’s daughter. 

    “And they make these allegations against a man who has struggled in politics for the past 22 years,” said the premier, referring to himself. 

    He said that the leadership of the PML-N and the PPP had opened corruption cases against themselves. “Nawaz Sharif threw Asif Zardari in jail,” he said. “Our government only made cases against Shehbaz Sharif.”

    Referring to former PM Nawaz’s medical condition, the premier said that when he read the PML-N chief’s medical reports, he couldn’t help but wonder whether a person could suffer from so many ailments. “No one exerted pressure on me to send Nawaz abroad,” he said, adding that no one could do so either.  

    To another question, PM Imran said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), being one of the best spy agencies in the world, knew about everything he does.

  • Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s engagement outfit details revealed

    Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s eldest daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari got engaged to Dubai-based businessman Mahmood Choudhry in a beautiful day-time event on Friday at Bilawal House, Karachi.

    Read more – Everything we know about Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s fiancé

    The newly engaged couple looked radiant on their big day and Bakhtawar glowed in light pink outfit paired with a beige Mughlia chaddar. As per details, Bakhtawar’s outfit was designed by Karachi-based designer Nida Azwer. The designer shared pictures of Bakhtawar on her social media handles and wished the couple all the best for the new chapter in their life.

    The bride completed her look with glowy makeup and diamond jewellery.

    IN PICTURES: Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s magical engagement

    Meanwhile, Bakhtawar’s brother Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was unable to attend the event since he tested positive for coronavirus and is now in quarantine. He will hopefully be able to attend the wedding which is expected to take place in January 2021 in Karachi.

  • PDM protesters break into sealed jalsa venue ahead of joint opposition’s gathering

    Workers and leaders of joint opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday broke into the venue of the alliance’s Multan gathering to be held on November 30, which had reportedly been sealed by the administration.

    According to reports, the district administration had placed 30 containers around the venue, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, with more being brought in to block roads leading to the city and police deployed outside.

    As per the details of Saturday’s incident, a rally led by sons of former prime minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gillani, namely Ali Haider and Ali Musa, overpowered law enforcement to enter the venue. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers led by local party leaders also accompanied the PPP stalwarts.

    The episode saw several scuffles between opposition workers and the police on different routes leading to the stadium where the rally was headed. A final scuffle broke out right outside the venue where hundreds of cops were discharging their duties.

    Unconfirmed reports of casualties — both police personnel and political workers — are pouring in.

    A senior PPP leader confirmed to The Current that Gillani brothers have taken control of the venue and a welcome camp is also being setup at the stadium. “They refuse to leave until the gathering has been held on Monday.”

    To a question, they said the people of Multan are overjoyed to have with them the late former PM Benazir Bhutto’s daughter, Assefa Bhutto-Zardari, who’ll be replacing her coronavirus positive brother and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

    Earlier, more than 200 workers of PDM constituent parties were arrested and raids were being conducted to arrest more. The lists of workers, particularly from the PML-N and PPP, were provided to respective police stations.

    The arrests had come after the government vowed to not let opposition “put people’s life at risk” by holding a gathering amid the second wave of COVID-19.

    As the opposition claims the government is using the virus outbreak to stop the PDM from holding its rallies against “the fascist regime”, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah has declared that the Multan rally will be held at all costs.

    Talking to the media outside the party’s Model Town secretariat in Lahore, he said if the government did not de-seal Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, the entire city of Multan will become the venue of the public meeting.

    He said the first phase of the PDM’s anti-government protests will be completed by holding the last event of the series in the Punjab capital on December 13, and the next phase will begin after the alliance leadership devises a new strategy.

    “We stand united against the government,” he said.